Remodelista recently featured this picture in a post about chairs with unfinished legs. We’re looking at and loving THE DOOR BEHIND the teal tonal chair, with it’s surprising orange-painted edge. What an easy d-i-y way to jazz-up a door with a little paint. It made us think of the black hinges-on-a-white-door we saw at a friend’s house recently…

The hinges were bought already sprayed. National makes them and they them come in variety of sizes (squared cornered ones give a more modern look)…

Sally Schneider

…it wouldn’t be difficult to paint a standard metal hinge (primed first), in any color you want. (see Comments and caveats below).

7 Responses to d-i-y door upgrade: painted edges and hinges

The prepainted hinges look great. However, be cautious when/if painting your own hinges. Painted hinges end up chipping and flaking due to the constant movement of the hinge. Also, it is a pet peeve of many carpenters/construction workers when people paint hinges. Typically, the metal hinges are meant to remain metal, so you can lubricate them if needed, or get to the screws if adjustments are required…
Just sayin..

I agree with Nina . . . who beat me to posting a word of caution. Hardware wasn’t meant to be painted, and while painting may help it “disappear” visually, the only real accomplishment is a propensity for impeding the proper function of the hardware. When I moved into my current apartment, for example, the entry door (which has two heavy-duty spring hinges) was warped to a degree that both the doorknob’s latch and companion deadbolt would not line up with the holes in the door frame. The only way I could secure the door was via the second deadbolt about 8 inches above. It wasn’t until I stripped an estimated 50 years accumulation of paint layers from those hinges that the door regained proper alignment.

My living room is a similar shade of orange as the one pictured. When I painted it, I didn’t anticipate how the other side of the door, which is moss green, would look against the orange wall when it’s open. It was a nice surprise, but you could also plan for interesting effects.

I should have clarified my thinking for. I definitely WASN’T imagining painting over hinges yearly, or even painting them while installed (I’ve spent a lot of time stripping years of paint off hardware..). I was envisioning a one time, careful paint job especially at the hinge area to make a visually cool hinge – a hinge with a removable pin being possibly the best option…possibly painting the head of the screw after it had been placed). Similarly, painted the edge of a door needs to be done with great care, and with the right door, because paint building up on the edges can make for a door that won’t close properly.

I’m guessing (because the inner room is orange) that in fact the entire back side of the door is orange and all we are seeing from the angle of the photo is that inner edge, making for a striking look from the hallway.
When the two sides of a door are different colours (usually to match the wall paints) the rule (who makes up these rules?) is that the door edges are supposed to get painted the color of the walls that the door opens *into*, to achieve a seamless look when the door is opened. That said, I am totally loving the idea of painting JUST the door edges for that fun pop that Sally suggests. Down with matching and down with rules!

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